


Look At You, Strawberry Blonde

by Rainy_Day_Lemonade



Series: Hinata, They're Lesbians [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Cottagecore, Cute, Deviates From Canon, Don't copy to another site, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, First Kiss, Flowers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Getting Together, Girls in Love, Island Mode, Island Mode (Dangan Ronpa), LGBTQ Themes, Light-Hearted, No Angst, One Shot, Photobomb, Romance, Short One Shot, Soapies, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wholesome, cottagecore vibes, please be kind, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28381083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Day_Lemonade/pseuds/Rainy_Day_Lemonade
Summary: Hiyoko moved with practiced grace, footfalls soft amid the flowers.She raised an arm to the sky, fluid, felt the breeze slip water-like through her fingers.She arched her shoulders, softened her arms, lifted her chin.Yet she knew, with increasing clarity, the true beauty here was the one behind the camera.
Relationships: Koizumi Mahiru/Saionji Hiyoko, Photobomb- relationship, Soapies- relationship
Series: Hinata, They're Lesbians [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078700
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Look At You, Strawberry Blonde

**Author's Note:**

> Woooooo first fic for this fandom! I'm so excited!
> 
> I can't begin to describe how much I adore this ship, it's quickly becoming a major comfort ship of mine. I couldn't resist writing some cute fluff for my girls. 
> 
> I'm really proud of this fic, honestly, so I hope you all enjoy! ❤
> 
> Disclaimer: Title adapted from Mitski's 'Strawberry Blond'

Hopes Peak was a stupid school. 

In Hiyoko's mind, this was an indisputable fact.  
And who could blame her? Waking up on a near-deserted island, surrounded by her apparent classmates, and informed by a glittery rabbit to _be a good girl and play with the other students, hah!_ Even though the sun was warm, the sand soft beneath her toes, she was adamantly unimpressed. 

That impression quickly faded, however, with the flash of a camera.  
A sheepish smile, bright against a freckled face.

Yeah... Maybe Hopes Peak wasn't _so_ bad. 

Annoying as she was, Usami wasn't beyond use. As long as friendship was woven in the request, their teacher was quick to approve. 

Mahiru was more upright than her headstrong friend, demeanour respectful as Hiyoko badgered the rabbit. Even so, she was powerless to Hiyoko's pull, hand clamped around her wrist as they stumbled from the sand and into the woods.   
"Hi... Hiyoko, slow down!" The photographer gasped between bouts of laughter, free hand clasped around her camera. "Slow... Down...!"  
"Noooo, Mahiruuuuu!" The blonde cackled, grip only growing tighter, "We'll run out of time! C'mon!"  
_"Urrrgh!"_

Jabberwock Island was an anomaly, cities and beaches and mountains and hills. On an ordinary day, it would be a point of contention- how could they be the only inhabitants, when there were shops and cinemas and parks and towers? Did Hopes Peak really have the funds, the power, to claim a whole island for itself?   
These concerns dissolved as the trees parted, opening to rolling hills and shimmering skies.   
Long grass covered the land like a quilt, wildflowers dotted and woven through it's form; reds and yellows and purples and blues swayed languidly in the breeze like shards of glass in a windchime. 

The girls looked out at the earth-bound sea, hands still interlocked... And smiled. 

Hiyoko moved with practiced grace, footfalls soft amid the flowers. She raised an arm to the sky, fluid, felt the breeze slip water-like through her fingers.   
She arched her shoulders, softened her arms, lifted her chin.   
Yet she knew, with increasing clarity, the true beauty here was the one behind the camera. 

Mahiru's hair shimmered gold under the sun, every freckle illuminated in the light. Hiyoko tried to look away, focus on her dancing, but her gaze always returned to pale fingers curled around a camera.   
A rush of boldness surged through her veins. "Mahiru, join me! Up, up, up!"  
"Noooo," The photographer cried, laughing as the blonde reached for her arms. "I'm too clumsy, Hiyoko! I'd much rather watch you da- OH!"  
Hiyoko gave a savage grin, successfully lifting the red-head to her feet; she was far stronger than others expected. "Hiyoko!"  
"Dance with me, Mahiru!" The blonde called again, spinning on the spot, letting the sleeves of her kimono flutter like butterfly wings. "Come on!"

A moment's pause, hazel eyes wide and focused on the dancer... And the photographer began to dance. 

Mahiru had never thought of herself as graceful. While there were others far clumsier than her, she had little confidence in her body's ability to spin and twirl as Hiyoko did.   
Logically, that was inevitable- Hiyoko had been training since she could walk, a lifetime of passion and experience behind her movements. Not to mention her talent as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer-  
"You're thinking too hard."  
Mahiru felt her face heat up, avoiding the smirking face of her friend.   
"I'm not exactly used to this, you know."  
_"Yeah, I can tell."  
_Expecting more teasing, the photographer blinked at the feeling of another hand in hers. The blonde gave her a strange smile- as though torn between bravado and doubt. "C'mon, let's dance together. Follow my lead, OK?" _  
_

Shocked as she was, Mahiru didn't hesitate.  
She reached out for the girl's other hand, and took it. 

Any grace Hiyoko once possessed was dulled by the stumbling feet of her partner. Were it any other, she would scowl- push them away, nose upturned, and show them how it's _really_ done...  
... But Mahiru was _more_ than 'just anyone'.   
So the dancer smiled.   
Lifted their arms, hands still joined, to cut invisible curves through the sky, their feet tentative amid the flowers.   
Mahiru giggled, sweet as candy, and Hiyoko felt her breath disappear.   
"This is fun!"  
It was. It really, truly was.   
In that brief moment of time, Hiyoko couldn't recall ever enjoying a dance as much. Brief flickers of memories long forgotten- her parents' smiling faces, her father's laughter... But no, this was different. Those memories, once joyful, held only pain. Pain and regret.   
Dancing with Mahiru was _freeing._ Renewing and new and exhilarating all at once, and-

Distraction caught up to her.  
Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Dancer, tripped on her heels and barrelled into her partner. 

The first thing Hiyoko registered was the softness of the ground, cushion-like beneath her.   
The second this: that this wasn't the ground.   
"Mahiru!" Hiyoko yelped, scrambling to prop herself upwards from the girl, "I'm so so sorry! Oh my God, are you OK?"

Blinking out of her shocked stupor, Mahiru registered the babbling girl- still half-laying atop her. Blushing bright at the contact, the photographer forced a giggle, unformed reassurances tingling against her lips...  
... But then she processed Hiyoko's cheeks, pink as the flowers surrounding them.   
The gentle pressure of their legs against each other.   
The soft gleam of amber eyes, flecked with gold. 

"... I can't believe I did that, that's so embarrassing! If the others saw me trip, oh my God, I'd actually d-"  
Hiyoko froze, voice catching in her throat.   
Soft hand caressing her cheek, Mahiru stared up at her with... With this strange _something,_ new and familiar all at once.   
Her mouth was dry. The dancer's gaze shifted to lips- chapped, and parted ever so slightly.   
Fingers moved to straw blonde hair, and gave a gentle tug. 

Hiyoko didn't hesitate. 

The kiss lasted... Maybe a moment? Neither girl could be sure.  
With time measured by the pace of their heartbeats, thundering strong within their chests, the contact felt unending, eternal.

Hiyoko felt everything at once.

The soft pressing of chapped lips.

The subtle sweetness of honey and spice.

The feeling of long fingers threading through her hair, gentle as they curled and gripped at the strands. 

And when the contact finally ceased, two girls lying breathless amid the flowers...  
... Hiyoko could only grin. 

"... Can I have a try?"   
The question took Mahiru by surprise, nodding sharply as her cheeks glowed pink.   
The pair laid side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder as the wind rustled the grass around them. The photographer whispered her advice like a secret, slender fingers gesturing to the cross-keys, the view-finder, the lens.  
Hiyoko absorbed her words like sunlight, warmth spreading beneath her skin with each brush of their fingers.   
"Try focusing on the flowers," Mahiru suggested, "Move the lens gently until they come into focus."  
The dancer hummed, peering through the view-finder and watching the flowers slowly come into focus. Deep red petals set against a blue sky, swaying softly in the breeze.   
_Click!_  
"... I did it!"  
"Well done!" Mahiru beamed, shoulders bumping in pride. A steady warmth blossomed in the dancer's chest, painting her thoughts with fanciful ideas.

"Do you want to photograph something else, or-"  
"Can I take your picture?" 

The photographer spluttered, wobbling slightly against the ground. Hiyoko bit back a giggle, pressing on. "Please, Mahiru?"  
"I'm, I'm not..." The red-head mumbled, face as bright as her hair, "... I'm not very good at selfies..."  
"Just one. Then you can have the camera back, pinky promise!"  
Mahiru chewed her lip, looking from the girl, to the camera, to the girl again. She remembered the taste of candy on her lips, the soft strands beneath her fingertips... And promptly burned brighter.   
"... Um... OK. Just one!"

  
_"Thank you, Mahiru!"  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"_

Days past, and Hiyoko found herself wide awake in the twilight hours. She tossed and turned, groaned and sighed, but to no avail.   
She rolled over with a huff, folding the pillow beneath her cheek and staring into space. 

Slowly, but inevitably, her gaze shifted to the frame on her bedside table. 

Even in the darkness, Mahiru glowed within the frame; eyes crinkled with laughter, the long-gone sunlight setting her expression alight.  
(Her cheeks still pink from kisses, a hint of lip-gloss tinging her lower lip).   
(Lip-gloss she didn't own). 

Hiyoko wouldn't remember when she eventually fell asleep. 

  
But when she awoke the next day, bemoaning the nature of Usami's 'extracurricular activities', her smile still lingered. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I can't wait to write more for this fandom. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> If you have the time, comments and kudos make me smile ❤


End file.
